Oral (Birth) Control Pills?

My heart attack received much speculation in regards to oral contraceptives.  Normally this is a topic I would relegate to my private blog, but it seems that somehow many people outside of my immediate friends/own mother knew about my method of birth control.  That being said, my blood pressure was regularly monitored because of a different medication I was taking in addition to the oral birth control pill.  My blood pressure was always at a healthy range.  The day I was taken to the emergency room my cholesterol levels were also at healthy levels (as in previous testings).  Despite my weight gain over the last several years my blood pressure and cholesterol have been and remain extremely good.  As for the cause of my blood clot's and subsequent heart attack, the cardiologist and oncologist who ran extensive tests were unable to come to a conclusion.  When pressed, my cardiologist has told us that I had 'bad luck and a tremendous amount of stress'.  Lastly, I had an EKG just a few months prior to my heart attack in preparation for surgery unrelated to my heart.  It is very difficult not having a diagnosis; not knowing exactly what to avoid (as if I could control the situation in any way).  It's the ultimate fear of the unknown (and I am the type of person who likes to know).

Nonetheless, here is an article regarding the same, very serious subject, oral contraceptives:

Is There Any Risk For Heart Disease With Birth Control Pills?


Sharonne Hayes, M.D., Director, Women's Heart Clinic; Associate Professor of Medicine;
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
February 6, 2008

Question: As A 30-Year-Old Woman, Should I Be Concerned About Taking Oral Contraceptive Pills And Is There Any Risk For Heart Disease With These Pills?

Answer: Oral contraceptives are some of the most effective birth control methods. And so, if you have chosen to be on oral contraceptives, presumably you're trying to prevent pregnancy. Where oral contraceptives got a bad rap, in a sense, was the first generation of oral contraceptives, which were 10 to 20 times higher doses of estrogen and progesterone than currently available oral contraceptives. So the oral contraceptives we're using today are much safer.

That said, even today's oral contraceptives, many of them can slightly increase blood pressure, they can adversely affect your cholesterol -- particularly by lowering the good cholesterol -- and they can slightly increase the risk of blood clots. So all of these things need to be taken into consideration.

There is no evidence that taking oral contraceptives today increases your risk of having a heart attack down the road after you stopped it as an older person. So that's very reassuring. If you choose to be on oral contraceptives, because that's the best method, one thing you should know, is that the risk, the cardiac risk of going through a completed pregnancy is actually much higher than taking oral contraceptives. So that's important to compare those risks. Taking care of yourself and reducing your cardiac risk factors, making sure your blood pressure is under control after you start, is a good way to reduce that risk.

The other thing is there are a number of newer oral contraceptives, and ones in development, that may actually reduce cardiac risk. Several that contain drospironone, which actually can lower blood pressure and has some other beneficial effects, are available now.

And so, we recommend you take the lowest dose for the time that you need it for oral contraception, but the cardiac risk shouldn't weigh too heavily when you make that decision.

Are Heart Attacks More Deadly for Women?

Age or Illness May Cause the Gender Gap in Heart Attack Survival Rates, Study Shows

By LAUREN COX and COURTNEY HUTCHINSON

ABC News Medical Unit

Aug. 26, 2009—

Doctors have long known that women are nearly twice as likely as men to die in the first month after a heart attack. But a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked behind this statistic to discover that gender may not directly influence survival outcomes after a heart attack heart attack outcomes.

Theresa Volpe, 40, barely survived a massive heart attack two years ago. She said despite ongoing symptoms of dizziness and fatigue, when her chest pains struck, many people thought she had indigestion.

"I was so dizzy and light headed -- my arms felt heavy and weighed down," said Volpe. "The paramedics came and looked me over and said, well your heart rate is not so high maybe it's just anxiety."

But once a cardiologist saw her, she was immediately airlifted to a specialist center where it was discovered one of Volpe's major arteries was 90 percent blocked by plaque.

"I was lucky because a lot of women don't survive a heart attack," said Volpe, who is now a spokeswoman for the Go Red for Women campaign of the American Heart Association.

Investigating Why Women and Men's Heart Attacks Differ

To discover more about the difference in heart attack survival rates between the sexes, Dr. Jeffrey Berger and his colleagues at the New York University School of Medicine analyzed the medical records of more than 130,000 heart attack patients (72 percent men and 28 percent women) that were part of 11 international studies between 1993 and 2006.

Among all the studies, women died at a 9.6 percent rate compared with a 5.3 percent rate for men in the first month after a heart attack. Yet the study pointed out key differences between men and women in these statistics.

Women were having heart attacks at an older age than the men. Women were also more likely to have diabetes, high blood pressure and heart failure while men were more likely to smoke, to have had a previous heart attack and have a previous bypass surgery.

Once the researchers compared men and women of the same age and health status, then the gender difference in survival rate disappeared.

How Gender May Not Matter in Heart Attack Survival

"[In our study] you see that women have almost a twofold increase risk for death after 30 days, which was found before, but the beauty of our study is we're able to look at reasons why this is," said Berger. "If you account for age, clinical risk factors that differ like hypertension, high cholesterol and numbers of arteries are blocked, there is not a difference."

"It's not being a man or woman that puts you at higher risk, it's these other factors," said Berger. Rather than focus on treating men and differently, Berger hoped doctors would start looking at treating older heart attack victims with specific health complications differently than other heart attack victims.

Indeed, Berger's study led some cardiologists to wonder if some of the differences between men and women in heart disease have been overblown.

Gender Differences in Heart Attacks

"The so-called 'gender differences' in heart disease have been hyped to a large extent," said Dr. Steven Nissen, director of the Joseph J. Jacobs Center for Thrombosis and Vascular Biology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio.

"The primary conclusion of this study is that there is not a higher mortality in women than men following a heart attack (when adjusted for severity of disease and co-morbidities)," said Nissen. "Accordingly, the study does not suggest a different strategy in women with heart attack. It appears that 'what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.'"

Yet other doctors point out that the study couldn't explain why women had their heart attacks at an older age, and in worse health in the first place. Moreover, doctors wondered whether there are still important differences to note about men and women leading up to the heart attack, if not in the 30 days that follow.

"This study tells us that even in this era of highly sophisticated diagnostic and treatment modalities for heart attack that women's heart disease is different from that seen in men and that women still fare worse," said Dr. Malissa Wood, of the cardiac unit of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Sex Differences in Heart Attack Symptoms Still Exist

"I believe that the big differences start before the heart attack ever happens," said Wood. "Once a woman presents with a heart attack and is of advanced age with diabetes and high blood pressure and their associated complications (blood vessel disease, kidney disease) the horse is out of the barn."

Volpe was only 38 when she had a heart attack. Despite her young age, she experienced some of the worst troubles that seem to affect women who have heart disease. First nobody could recognize her symptoms, and then nobody believed it when she had a heart attack.

"I was very tired, I was very fatigued. I was so tired I thought I was pregnant," said Volpe.

Volpe also occasionally went into dizzy spells, she got out of breath and she would experience chest pain. Her primary care doctor performed some tests -- an EKG and an echocardiography -- but when those came up normal Volpe's doctor suggested anti-anxiety medication.

"She had thought that I was suffering from a generalized anxiety disorder -- I was thinking the only thing that I'm anxious about is that I'm having chest pains," said Volpe.

Another round of tests at a gastrointestinal specialist couldn't explain her chest pains, so Volpe tried to relax with the occasional chest pain.

Then, on March 31, 2007 at a family birthday party she had a heart attack.

"At the ER, the cardiologist said we need to get to her out of here, she's having a massive heart attack and my husband said 'are you kidding,'" said Volpe.

Volpe now lives with four stents and must take a variety of medications for life.

"I wish I had the guts to say I want to see a cardiologist earlier," said Volpe, a mother of two school-age children. "Being so young, I was afraid to say I'd like to see a cardiologist."

More, Volpe wishes she had taken better care of herself.

"That's the huge thing. I really wish that I had taken better care of myself. You always think you have time. I don't have to worry about that until I'm older, but you're back pedaling," she said. "Every time I get on the treadmill I think I don't feel like it but this is what I have to do."

Copyright © 2009 ABC News Internet Ventures

How Does Stress Affect A Cardiac Condition After A Heart Attack?

Question: How does stress affect my cardiac condition, is it dangerous when I have angina, and how about stress after a heart attack?

Answer: There has been an awful lot of research documenting that if you already have heart disease -- if you already had a heart attack or have been diagnosed with heart disease by angiography or other tests -- that stress puts you at a higher risk for having some bad events happen to you.

People who've had a heart attack, who have low levels of social support, are more likely to die in the next few years. People who meet criteria for depression following a heart attack are actually four to five times more likely to die in the next six months following the heart attack. People who have chronic stress at work -- high demands, low control over how you meet those demands -- when they're followed up over two to four years, are about twice as likely to die as people whose jobs do not impose that kind of stress.

So once you have heart disease, I'm afraid I have to tell you that the stress story is even more dire than before you develop heart disease.

Redford Williams, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Director, Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Duke University Medical Center

Copyright © 2009 ABC News Internet Ventures

We're Signed Up!

In keeping with the overall idea of the American Heart Association's Start! movement  philosophy of becoming/remaining active, I registered us both for a fall cycling event.  Ultimately our ultimate goal of course is to achieve a healthy lifestyle change.  I'm especially excited since the event is sponsored by a group of cardiac survivors.

I began participating in cycling events shortly before I met my husband.  We since participated together once (we did a half century).  He was awesome (climbing steep rolling hills in 100 degree plus weather; me not so much!!).  So, I am excited to try cycling again since running isn't recommended for me.   

Likewise, the upcoming ride supports several cardiac efforts also.  What better way to make sure we're working out regularly other than shelling out some money forcing us to prepare for the ride (yes, I admit, I need motivation as the days begin to grow shorter and I still try to find a routine that is both intersting and challenging).  I am not doing the full century since there is no way I am physically able yet.  My husband is signed up for the longer ride (the metric century)!  Time to put up or shut up!!

126:

The number of people who die in an hour from Heart Disease & Stroke.  

Untold Stories of the Heart

One woman dies almost every minute from heart disease. Yet studies show that only 21% of women view heart disease as their greatest health threat. The TV special, Untold Stories of the Heart, which premiered in 2008 and featured Marie Osmond, hosted by Hoda Kotb, raises awareness through the personal stories of women living with heart disease. Because for every heart there is a story, and these stories are at the heart of Go Red.

(above from the American Heart Association/Go Red For Women)

I've Been Wearing My Seat Belt All Along Thanks to My Cardiologist!

I have been extremely happy with the cardiologist who saved my life and continues to see me as a patient (insert big happy smile HERE!). Over time, I have realized that "my" cardiologist keeps very up to date with all things heart related. So it is no surprise to me to read the article below. A statin prescription has been in my daily regimen post heart attack. At first I was confused by the need for cholesterol prescription because I knew the lab results taken by the emergency room determine all of my cholesterol levels to be "good". My cardiologist explained that the statin was being prescribed because it was shown to help heal the heart (given that I had 10% damage/die off of my heart during my heart attack).

Regretfully, I have visited many doctors for various reasons and found advocacy to be a quality found few and far between. No fault of the doctor; I can't begin to imagine the amount of patients they see and the ongoing problems with insurance companies. So, three cheers for my awesome doctor being not only a phenomenal doctor/surgeon, but also an advocate for his patients!!!

Another doctor I see has recently suggested a vitamin supplement since I am taking a statin. I'll share why and what in the future.

Statins cut heart problems after artery surgery

Inexpensive drug that lowers cholesterol also decreases risk of dying

The Associated Press

updated 7:48 a.m. PT, Thurs., Sept . 3, 2009

NEW YORK - Score another victory for the cheap, cholesterol-lowering wonder drugs known as statins. People getting an artery unclogged or repaired were much less likely to die or have a heart attack afterward if they took preventive doses of the pills before and after their operations, a Dutch study showed.

Patients given Lescol had half the risk of having a heart attack or dying of a heart problem in the following month compared to those given dummy pills, the study found.

“You get a bonus with the treatment of statins,” said Dr. Don Poldermans, who led the study at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The results are in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Statins are widely prescribed to reduce cholesterol and prevent heart disease. Doctors wanted to see if statins could also protect against heart problems that are a common complication of blood vessel surgery — operations like repairing a bulging abdominal artery or unclogging arteries in the neck.

The stress of surgery on arteries can destabilize plaque buildup, causing it to rupture and blood clots to form, particularly in heart arteries. Statins are thought to help by reducing inflammation and stabilizing the plaque.

The researchers enrolled nearly 500 patients who were not on statins and were going to have operations on their aorta or leg or neck arteries. For about a month before and a month after their surgery, half the patients took a statin; the rest got a dummy pill.

Within a month of the operation, 12 patients in the statin group, about 5 percent, had died or had heart attacks, compared to 25 patients, or 10 percent, of those who took a dummy pill. Other signs of heart damage also were less common among those who had taken statins. There was no difference in side effects between the two groups.

When the study began in 2004, Poldermans said, statins were not as widely recommended as they are today for people with peripheral artery disease — stiff and narrow arteries, often in the legs. The patients in the study probably weren’t on statins before their surgery because their cholesterol levels were normal or near normal, he said.

“There’s no reason whatsoever to withhold statins anymore” from these patients,” Poldermans said.

Current guidelines recommend the drugs for everyone with peripheral artery disease, regardless of the need for surgery.

The Dutch study was partially funded by Swiss drug maker Novartis, which makes and supplied Lescol, also known as fluvastatin. Poldermans has received grants and consulting fees from Novartis; two other researchers have received fees and grants from medical companies.

Other statins on the market would likely achieve a comparable effect, said Dr. Alan T. Hirsch, director of the vascular medicine program at the Minneapolis Heart Institute and a spokesman for the American Heart Association. He said statins aren’t being used enough in people with peripheral artery disease, and he hopes the study draws attention to their benefits at the time of surgery, as well as throughout the lifetime of the patient.

“A statin is a seat belt when you drive a damaged artery,” he said.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32661411/ns/health/

Bank Day!

I thought today was the final day to turn in any additional money collected, however, I have until Saturday (the day of the Santa Barbara North Heart Walk).  I'm looking forward to seeing people from cardiac rehabilitation on Saturday (nurses and patients). In the mean time, I am trying to finalize what I will say on Saturday.
I was asked to speak about my heart attack experience; I'm getting very nervous.  I screeched by with a C grade in Public Speaking/Speech in college ;o  The instructor jokingly told me to dance at the end of one speech as I had talked too fast (I missed my target time by 1.5 minutes)!  Hope my talking isn't faster than my walking this weekend!

Thank you again for all of your support!!!

Here is How All of You Are Making a Difference:

 $25 could give 50 people educational materials on the risks of heart diseases and stroke

$50 could give an early career scientist an AHA/ASA one-year professional membership that offers access to the latest in cardiovascular and stroke research.

$100 could give one hospital resources to educate patients, the public and health professionals about stroke.

$200 could deliver our innovative 30-minute CPR program to 10 community residents, who can pass the lifesaving skill to others.

$300 could provide our 'Recipes for the Heart' cookbook to 75 people.

$500 could teach more than 1,200 children how to avoid obesity and live longer, stronger lives through our nutrition and exercise materials.

Your life saving support makes a difference in the fight against heart disease and stroke.  It is greatly appreciated! 

Watch Your "Own" Heart Attack

I came across a public service announcement (PSA) on You Tube about a year ago.  I believe it's from the  United Kingdom.  It reminds me of the PSA about drugs where the egg is frying in the pan ("...this is your brain on drugs").  


Okay, back to the dramatization at hand; it answers the question that people ask, 'What did it feel like?'.  If you want to know, watch this video.  My main symptoms were different:  I did not have any chest pain.  I had tightness and pain in my shoulder blades/upper back.  This is a symptom usually associated with female heart attack patients.  


The day I went to the emergency room I used the search engine Google to look up the words 'heart attack symptoms' because I knew something wasn't right within my body.  After that, recalling commercials for aspirin, I found an old bottle in my medicine cabinet.  Just as the commercials suggested, I opened it, and took a dosage.  I decided that it couldn't hurt anything and now that I had read the list of symptoms, if I had any others I would go to the hospital.  Before I knew it I was making the next decision to call 911 for an ambulance.  The actor in the PSA below is correct:  every second counts.  Why take the chance of dying?  Nobody knows your body better than yourself.


The ambulance personnel didn't think anything of it when I told them I thought I was having a heart attack.  When I was taken into the emergency room I was left in a hallway on the gurney from the ambulance.  I didn't remember much of the ride from my home to the hospital, but as I lay there on my back, I still new something was wrong.  I started asking for someone to help me, continuing to state that I thought I was having a heart attack.  A couple of staff looked at me like I was crazy.  I can't blame them, I was only thirty-three.  I wasn't about to stop asking for help though, so I was moved into a room and set up with an EKG monitor.  Within minutes the room was full with personnel; I knew I was correct when I saw a man dressed in golfing attire enter.  He calmly told me that I was having a heart attack.

I encourage everyone to not only watch this clip, but familiarize yourself with the symptoms for heart attack/stroke (differences between male and female).  Likewise, discuss with your primary care physician ways to prevent blood clots, stroke and heart attack.  For example,  a physician might recommend taking a specific dosage of aspirin daily depending on your age and other factors.  


WARNING:  This video may be upsetting for stroke/heart attack survivors and loved one's.  Please only watch if you want to know more about symptoms (otherwise refer to other sources such as the American Heart Association or a physician).

Thank You!

Forty-five days into fundraising for the 2009 Santa Barbara North County Start! Heart Walk and there are so many caring people who I am grateful to for their generosity and thoughtfulness!!!  Thanks to all of you, as of today, the total amount is $1021.00!  Only a couple of more weeks until the walk! 

Thank you, to all of J's co-workers (when I say co-workers, I actually mean friends!) and to all family members, for all of your support; not only now, but throughout this last year. 

S

American Heart Association Fundraising Webpage: Why!?

I survived a heart attack on July 12, 2008 caused by a blood clot that formed in my heart. As a result of my experience, I have learned that heart disease is the #1 KILLER for WOMEN. While my heart attack was considered a random occurance, my wish is that we will all lead healthy lives and learn the warning signs for heart attack, as it is frequently misdiagnosed in women resulting in death. I am getting involved by participating in two American Heart Association's (AHA) Start! Heart Walk's. The first walk is in September located in Santa Maria, California. The second walk is in October in San Luis Obispo, California.

Please support this cause by making a donation in any amount you are able, that will help provide cardiac research and education to stop our No. 1 (female) and No. 3 (male) killers.

1. Donation(s) are tax deductible (now there's a silver lining!)
2. Your employer might match donations; find out here: http://www.matchinggifts.com/aha/

I have fundraised in the past (for Special Olympics, collecting donations and running) however, surviving a heart attack and now being able to participate with the AHA in a Heart Walk is an amazing feeling. I'm obviously not the only person affected by cardiovascular problems, I, like many others, know so many people who are all too familiar with heart disease.

If you haven't heard my personal story and you want to hear it, just ask me. Knowing the signs could save a life!

Thank you for taking the time to read this information!

* I have declined any prizes associated with funds raised for participating in either walk.

Heart Attack vs. Cardiac Arrest

Heart attack vs. cardiac arrest: Reports indicating a Michael Jackson cardiac arrest generated much interest in the difference between sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and a heart attack.

According to the American Medical Association (AMA), a heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle itself — the myocardium — is severely reduced or stopped. The reduction or stoppage happens when one or more of the coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle is blocked. This is usually caused by the buildup of plaque (deposits of fat-like substances), a process called atherosclerosis. The plaque can eventually burst, tear or rupture, creating a "snag" where a blood clot forms and blocks the artery. This leads to a heart attack.

If the blood supply is cut off for more than a few minutes, muscle cells suffer permanent injury and die. This can kill or disable someone, depending on how much heart muscle is damaged.

Sometimes a coronary artery temporarily contracts or goes into spasm. When this happens the artery narrows and blood flow to part of the heart muscle decreases or stops. We're not sure what causes a spasm. A spasm can occur in normal-appearing blood vessels as well as in vessels partly blocked by atherosclerosis. A severe spasm can cause a heart attack.

The medical term for heart attack is myocardial infarction. A heart attack is also sometimes called a coronary thrombosis or coronary occlusion.

The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association has an excellent cardiac arrest fact sheet available for download. They write,

"Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death in the U.S., killing nearly 300,000 people each year. That’s more than the total death rate for breast cancer, lung cancer, and HIV/AIDS combined. SCA can strike persons of any age, gender, race, and even those who seem in good health, as evidenced by world class professional athletes at the peak of fitness.

During SCA, heart function ceases abruptly and without warning.

When this occurs, the heart is no longer able to pump blood to the rest of the body, and in over 90% of victims, death occurs. This is usually caused when the electrical impulses in the affected heart become rapid (ventricular tachycardia, or “VT”) or chaotic (ventricular fibrillation, or “VF”), or both.

These irregular heart rhythms are arrhythmias. The general public and media often mistakenly refer to SCA as a “massive heart attack.”

SCA is an electrical problem, whereby the arrhythmia prevents the heart from pumping blood to the brain and vital organs. There is an immediate cessation of the heart. In most cases, there are no warning signs or symptoms.

A heart attack is a “plumbing” problem caused by one or more blockages in the heart’s blood vessels, preventing proper flow, and the heart muscle dies. Symptoms include chest pain, radiating pain in left arm, between shoulder blades, and/or jaw, difficulty breathing, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, and sweating. In some cases, a heart attack may lead to a sudden cardiac arrest event."

Media interest in cardiac arrest
The day after Michael Jackson's presumed sudden cardiac arrest death, cardiac arrest was discussed in all the major media, a (very slight) silver lining to Michael Jackson's tragic end, since sudden cardiac arrest awareness is frightfully low and publicly accessible defibrillation is also low.

The LA Times noted, "The L.A. County coroner’s office will determine a cause of death. A Los Angeles Fire Department source told The Times that Jackson was in full cardiac arrest when rescue units arrived."

USA Today wrote,
Q. What might have happened in Jackson's case?

A: Jackson most likely had ventricular fibrillation, an electrical disturbance of the heart that occurs when the heart begins beating 400 to 500 times a minute — much more than the normal 70 to 75 beats, says Douglas Zipes, emeritus professor at Indiana University School of Medicine and former president of the American College of Cardiology.

"When you look at the heart in ventricular fibrillation, it looks like a bag of squiggly worms," Zipes says. "The contractions are totally ineffective. ... Therefore, no blood is pumped to the brain, causing him to black out.

"The heart's pacemaker is the sinus node," Zipes says. "It is the conductor of the orchestra, coordinating the heart's electrical rhythm. When all the instruments are playing in a coordinated manner, the result is music. In ventricular fibrillation, it's as if the orchestra is warming up and what you hear is cacophony."

Q: What can you do for someone in cardiac arrest?

A: Sudden cardiac death occurs within minutes unless someone gets the heart working again, either through CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or with adefibrillator, which uses an electrical shock to get the heart pumping correctly.

Brain death begins in just four to six minutes, so restarting the heart quickly is vital, the American Heart Association says.

CPR can buy patients time until they can be shocked with a defibrillator, says Abhi Mehrotra, assistant professor of emergency medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill. By compressing the chest, rescuers circulate blood and get oxygen to vital organs such as the brain.

A victim's chances of survival go down 7% to 10% every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation. Few people are revived after 10 minutes, the American Heart Association says.

Resuscitation from SCA
The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association writes, "When someone collapses from SCA, immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) are essential for any chance of recovery. As many as 30 to 50 percent would likely survive if CPR and AEDs were used within five minutes of collapse.

The AED analyzes the heart rhythm of the victim, and if necessary, a computerized command will instruct the user to press a button to deliver an appropriate shock to restore the normal operation of the heart. [The Powerheart AED G3 Plus Fully Automatic does not require a button press to deliver the shock; the AED delivers the shock automatically.]

These devices are failsafe and will not cause injury to the user, nor will they deliver a shock if none is needed. For patients in “VF”, studies show that if early defibrillation is provided within the first minute, the odds are 90 percent that the victim’s life can be saved. After that, the rate of survival drops ten percent with every minute.


Related Products

• Powerheart AED G3 Plus
• Powerheart AED G3 Fully Automatic and Semi-automatic
• Powerheart AED G3 Pro
• Powerheart AED G3 Trainer
• AED Program Management

Research Grant from American Heart Association

UT Southwestern earns grant from American Heart Association for Cardiac Myogenesis Research Center

DALLAS – July 20, 2009 UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers Drs. Jay Schneider, Joseph Hill and Eric Olson have been awarded a $2 million grant from the American Heart Association to study the development and mechanisms of generating new cardiac muscle cells. UT Southwestern was one of only three institutions in the country to receive the highly competitive award, which will establish an American Heart Association-Jon Holden DeHaan Foundation Cardiac Myogenesis Research Center. Each center will conduct a number of basic science research projects to learn more about how cardiac muscle cells develop and work together. The AHA grant provides funding through 2012. "Our grant submission involved a small-molecule drug that we discovered by screening the UT Southwestern chemical library with cardiac stem cells," said Dr. Schneider, assistant professor of internal medicine. "Original studies of that drug were done in cultured stem cells, but we have now shown that it actually works as a drug in the adult heart by targeting a rare population of native cardiac stem cells and by activating muscle genes in these cells." Dr. Hill, chief of cardiology, said the finding could lead to treatments that activate stem cells within the heart to emerge as functional muscle cells. "We are hopeful that opportunities presented to our researchers through the funding provided by this grant will lead to improved outcomes for heart attack and heart failure patients," he said. The UT Southwestern researchers said their investigations could significantly help advance the understanding of stem cells' role in heart disease and repair, leading to new ways to care for patients with heart attacks or congestive heart failure by stimulating heart cell regeneration. "The goal is to use small molecules and microRNAs (ribonucleic acids) as probes to understand the mechanistic barriers that prevent the human heart from repairing itself after injury," said Dr. Schneider. "By doing so, we hope to develop new therapeutics based on small molecules and microRNAs that will overcome these barriers and induce the human heart to regenerate after injury." Dr. Olson, chairman of molecular biology and director of the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Center for Basic Research in Cancer and the Nearburg Family Center for Basic and Clinical Research in Pediatric Oncology, said the award will unite researchers from several fields to attack the problem. For instance, Dr. Schneider worked collaboratively with Dr. Steven McKnight, chairman of biochemistry at UT Southwestern, during the initial research for the grant proposal. "This grant from the AHA will enable us to translate basic discoveries in the laboratory into new therapeutic approaches for improving function of the failing heart. We intend to take an interdisciplinary approach and draw from the expertise of basic scientists and clinicians to achieve this goal," Dr. Olson said. His research focuses on genes that control development of the heart in embryos, and how those genes can help repair damaged adult hearts. Other Cardiac Myogenesis Research Centers receiving the grant are the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Minnesota. The Jon Holden DeHaan Foundation of Naples, Fla., has a long history of funding AHA cardiovascular research and cumulatively has contributed almost $5 million for this purpose. The American Heart Association-Jon Holden DeHaan Foundation Cardiac Myogenesis Research Center Program is the most ambitious partnership undertaken by the two organizations. Visit http://www.utsouthwestern.org/heartlungvascular to learn more about UT Southwestern's heart, lung, and vascular clinical services. This news release is available on our World Wide Web home page at www.utsouthwestern.edu/home/news/index

Meet Joyce Macias...

On April 4th her world drastically changed. She suffered a heart attack. Her outcome was excellent, but most women are not so lucky.Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in America. Not cancer, heart disease. Why? Symptoms for women are different than men's. They are more subtle and easily passed off as fatigue or nausea. The last time Joyce joined the Santa Barbara Heart Walk was in support of her grandson Connor. Connor was born with a set of heart issues that required surgery when he was just 9 months old. Now, Joyce and Connor have a chance to create wonderful memories together because of the reseach funded by the AHA through the funds YOU raise!

Since 1924 the American Heart Association has helped protect people of all ages and ethnicities from the ravages of heart disease and stroke. These diseases, the Nation's No.1 and No.3 killers, claim more than 910,000 American lives a year. The association invested more than $543 million in fiscal year 2005-06 for research, professional and public education, and advocacy so people across America can live stronger, longer lives.

Thanks to all our walkers, donors and volunteers who have accepted the challenge to help fight heart disease and stroke. We cannot achieve our mission without each one of you!

(Above information is from the Start! Heart Walk website - American Heart Association).

American Heart Association Headquarters

American Heart Association, Dallas, Texas

Daniel W. Jones, M.D., President of the American Heart Association

Hi. My name is Daniel Jones, and I am the president of the American Heart Association.

Diseases of the heart are the No. 1 killer in America, and stroke is No. 3. The American Heart Association strongly believes that learning more about these diseases is the best way to reduce disability and death. That's why research is an association-wide priority. The American Heart Association is second only to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in funding heart research.

To support research, the American Heart Association has invested almost $2.7 billion since 1949 and $145 million in 2005-06 alone. The association currently funds about 2,500 scientists around the United States.

American Heart Association-funded breakthroughs include the first artificial heart valve, techniques and standards for CPR, implantable pacemakers, treatment for infant respiratory distress syndrome, cholesterol inhibitors, microsurgery and drug-coated stents. The association has funded the winners of seven Nobel Prizes.

In recent years, funding from the American Heart Association and NHLBI has enabled University of California-Los Angeles researchers to identify a new molecule that may help regulate the delivery of fats to cells for energy and storage. The finding could lead to a better understanding of how we use fats from the foods we eat.

Digested fats travel to the small intestine, where they are packaged into chylomicrons, which are large, spherical particles filled with triglycerides. The chylomicrons then travel through the bloodstream delivering triglycerides that feed skeletal muscles and the heart  and to adipose tissue that stores the triglycerides for energy. As the chylomicroms pass through the inside walls of capillaries, they are caught by molecules called proteoglycans, which hold chylomicrons steady while the newly-delivered triglycerides are broken down by the enzyme lipoprotein lipase (LpL). The broken-down triglyceride products are then taken up and used by cells.

"Previously, we didn't know what molecule in the capillaries facilitated the capture of chylomicrons and facilitated the interaction with lipoprotein lipase," said Dr. Stephen Young, author of the study and investigator at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "We think that we've found the missing piece of the puzzle."

American Heart Association funding from 1985 to 1994 laid the groundwork for these studies.

In Minnesota, a scientist development grant from the American Heart Association's Greater Midwest Affiliate helped fund research that discovered that aerobic arm exercises can delay the onset of leg pain that makes walking even short distances difficult for many people with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

"This is the first study showing that arm-only aerobics can provide results comparable to those seen with treadmill training," said Diane Treat-Jacobson, Ph.D., R.N., lead author of the study and an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing in Minneapolis.

PAD is a progressive atherosclerotic disease in which plaque builds up and narrows the arteries in the extremities (usually the legs), limiting blood supply to the muscles during exertion. Starved for oxygen, these (usually calf) muscles can cramp and hurt after patients walk even short distances. The leg pain goes away with a few minutes of rest. PAD affects more than 8 million Americans, including about 20 percent of people older than 65 years.

Earlier studies have shown that progressive exercise training on a treadmill can help postpone the onset of leg pain or cramps, known medically as claudication, and can extend the distance patients can walk. In this study, researchers used an arm ergometer, a table-top device akin to bicycle pedals operated with the arms, rather than the legs.

The team measured how far 35 PAD patients (average age 67) could walk on a treadmill without leg pain, and how far they could continue to walk before pain forced them to stop. Then they randomly divided the patients into a control group that didn't exercise and three exercise groups. One group exercised on the treadmill, one on the arm ergometer, and the third group used both.

The three groups exercised three times a week for 12 weeks in one-hour supervised sessions. After three months of training, patients in all three exercise groups improved in the total distance they could walk, ranging from 150 to 330 meters (equivalent to two to three and a half blocks). Both treadmill and arm exercisers showed similar improvement in the distance they could walk without pain: more than 100 meters, or about one and a half blocks.

"We were happy to discover that upper-body aerobics can help patients with PAD increase the distance they can walk without pain," Treat-Jacobson said. "We need additional studies to confirm the results, better understand why and how this works, and also identify the best training regimen for patients. In the meantime, our results provide evidence that aerobic upper-body exercise is a pain-free alternative for patients with PAD who cannot or do not wish to perform treadmill exercises because of leg pain or some other disability."

Click here for more information on research funded by the American Heart Association.

Copyright © 2009 ABC News Internet Ventures

Research Examples (Women)

Here is a tidbit from the AHA website which directly has impact on females such as myself, where monies raised are used towards research:

Heart attacks (myocardial infarction) in younger women.

Unfortunately, younger and middle-aged women who have a heart attack have poorer recovery than men, including higher mortality. While recent research has clarified a number of aspects of the differences in the distribution and functional consequences of atherosclerosis in women, there remains an urgent need to understand the mechanisms which contribute to the higher death rate after heart attack among younger women.

Arrhythmias.

It is critical that we pursue research to reduce the number of women experiencing and dying from sudden cardiac arrest. It is known that women are at higher risk of certain types of arrhythmias (e.g., drug-induced torsades), warranting further investigation into electrophysiologic mechanisms.

AHA Mission Statement

Below is the mission statement from the American Heart Association's website:

Mission of the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is: "Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke."

The mission statement was updated by the American Heart Association during its Annual Meeting in April 2007. The mission statement undergoes a formal review process every third year.

The association's impact goal is to reduce coronary heart disease, stroke and risk by 25 percent by 2010. Progress toward the goal will be measured according to these indicators:

• Reduce the death rate from coronary heart disease and stroke by 25 percent.
• Reduce the prevalence of smoking, high blood cholesterol and physical inactivity by 25 percent.
• Reduce the rate of uncontrolled high blood pressure by 25 percent.
• Eliminate the growth of obesity and diabetes.